Top Ten Snipers

 
Chuck Mawhinney


8. Chuck Mawhinney

Not even his wife knew that Chuck Mawhinney (not pictured here) was one of the U.S. Marine Corps' top snipers in Vietnam, before a buddy wrote a book highlighting Mawhinney's service.

The book,Dear Mom: A Sniper's Vietnam, brought to light Mawhinney's record of 103 confirmed kills in Vietnam, with 213 more unconfirmed. It's a gruesome record, one that Mawhinney was not in a hurry to claim, figuring that no one would be interested.

Mawhinney left Vietnam in 1969, after 16 months as a sniper, when a chaplain thought Mawhinney might have been suffering from combat fatigue. After a short stint as a rifle instructor at Camp Pendleton, Mawhinney left the Marines and returned home to rural Oregon.

"I just did what I was trained to do," he told The Standard. "I was in-country a long time in a very hot area. I didn't do anything special." Yeah, right. Thanks, Chuck. You're still on the top ten list.

PUZZLES: Put together these Snipers.
QUIZ: Prove your sniper IQ with this Sniper Quiz.
VIDEO: Watch some top snipers in action
DISCUSS: Comment on this list in our forums

« Previous  Top Ten Snipers   10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1    Next »

More Top Tens

f-22 Top Ten Fighters
This list blows those other top tens right out of the sky.
b-17 Top Ten Bombers
Find out which bombers made the list!
rifles Top Ten Rifles
The best combat rifles ever made.
helicopters Top Ten Helicopters
Meet the best helicopters in history.
ifv Top Ten Fighting Vehicles
APCs, AVFs, IMVs, and IFVs! OMG!
rifles Top Ten Battleships
Find out which ships rule the high seas.
 
 
advertisement

You Decide

 
newsletter
 
 

our sites

video

shop

stay connected

corporate